Katie Holmes avoided marriage talk in pre-divorce interview

The actress appeared flustered when quizzed about Cruise during her chat with Kelsey McKinnon of C Magazine on 27 June (12), the day before she announced the end of her five-year marriage.

When asked if her six-year-old daughter Suri brought Holmes and Cruise closer together, the former Dawson's Creek star was vague in her response.

She said, "I don't know. I mean... I don't know. People have been having babies a long time."

Reflecting on their interview, senior editor McKinnon admits "there were signs" of problems in Holmes' relationship.

The journalist tells WWD.com, "Going back over the tapes, there were signs: Holmes was certainly very aware of herself, laying a couple (of) cards on the table but never showing her whole hand. Most noticeably, the one name decisively absent from her lexicon: Tom Cruise. She never actually refers to him by name over pages and pages of transcription."

Holmes also hinted at starting a new chapter in her life, telling McKinnon she is "ready to take on some more challenging roles".

She explained, "I feel like I worked so much at such a young age that I really wanted to have life experiences. I feel more balanced and like I have more to bring to the table. I always felt like I wanted to catch up (in my personal life) to what I was doing (in my career)."